The Premier League champions were yesterday grouped with Bayern Munich, Roma and CSKA Moscow, where captain Yaya Toure suffered racist abuse last season.

A disappointing display in the group stages last season, when they also faced the same Russian and German sides, meant City were paired with Barcelona in the last 16, when they crashed out.

But Begiristain insists it will be different this time round.

"It's going to be tough but we are ready, ready," he said.

“We are good enough to fight for everything. I think we need a bit of luck with injuries but if we get the performances we expect from the squad, we will be there”

Txiki Begiristain

"We have to aspire to win this title. Of course there are five, six, eight other clubs that can win it but we can as well and why should we not set out to win the Champions League?

"We are good enough to fight for everything. I think we need a bit of luck with injuries but if we get the performances we expect from the squad, we will be there.

"We have the squad to cope with a tough Champions League schedule and the Premier League. There is no reason why we can't compete to win both competitions.

"But after what has happened to us in the past, we have to target top place in the group because there is a lot of difference between winning the group and coming second.

"We saw last year about the advantage you get if you play the second leg at home.

"We just wanted to qualify from the group stages last year - the objective is higher now.

"That's why we improved the team, to give us a chance of winning the domestic competitions but also to be better in Europe."

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But City have not been helped by the face that the trip to Bayern is sandwiched between a trip to Arsenal and Chelsea's visit to the Etihad.

Arsenal secretary David Miles was happy with his side's draw, saying: "It's a tough group but it's one from which there's a pre-requisite to finish first and avoid the likes of Barcelona at the start of the knock-out stage.

"We have a Cup history with both Galatasaray and Anderlecht but we were looking at it and thinking at least we didn't end up in Group E."